Ten Reasons Why I Love You
by Someone the World Forgot
Summary: "'You want to know why, Tris? Ten reasons. Ten reasons out of a thousand more.'" Years after his love was killed, Tobias, sitting near the place where they had scattered her ashes decades ago, tells Tris why he'll always love her, even though she's gone. One-shot. All rights to Veronica Roth and special thanks to Ed Sheeran's song which inspired this story. *NOT A SONGFIC!*


**Hey guys! I'm back with another one-shot.**

 **I should be working on my PJO fanfiction, but as usual … I don't listen to my gut. Ever. :P**

 **I'm actually not sure when the average age for the older Dauntless members get kicked out, so I guessed around 48. I'm probably wrong, though. Most likely, actually.**

 **Hope Tobias isn't too out of character! I am not a boy, and I knew that my guy friends/family members would not co-operate so I didn't even bother asking them.**

 **Happy reading!**

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30 years. 30 years since my beautiful Tris Prior died her tragic death. 30 years since her short life had ended, caused by the hands of her mother's lover, but whose feelings were not reciprocated. 30 years since I had saw that dazzling smile, heard her beautiful, melodic voice, seen her stunning eyes. 30 years has passed, and not one bit, had my love for her faded. Every ounce of me ached for her.

As I walked down from the Dauntless Headquarters to the place where we had scattered her ashes, that day, so long ago, I wondered what it would be like, had she not died. Would our love still stand strong, 30 years later? Or would it be just my love? Would we have kids? Where would we live? I missed her. Every ounce of me did. The sun shone over Chicago, illuminating the streets, my face, the buildings. The sun seemed to cast an angelic glow on the ocean, where we put my Tris to rest.

30 years later, and I was still in Dauntless. At 48 years of age, I surpassed the average age of when the older Dauntless would either jump into the Chasm, or become factionless. She, too, would probably surpass the age, had she been alive.

I borrowed the rowboat from a nearby shop by the sea. I, a solitary figure, rowed alone to the middle of the sea, where, approximately, we scattered her ashes, with nothing but the salty smell of the sea, the sounds of waves crashing, the wheeze of the wind, and the stupid chirping birds in the air to accompany me.

I set down my oars, and stared into the blue-green sea. Finally, I began to speak. "Tris," I began. I paused. Talking to her, each year, was difficult, extremely difficult, for me. "Tris," I said again. Involuntarily, I paused, as if waiting for an answer. The wind whipped around me, ruffling my hair. I paid it no heed. I focused my eyes on the water.

"I," I choked out, "I know that I have done this so many times … this shouldn't be so heartbreaking. But it is." I forced out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. "Tris … the effect you have on me … even after all these years … gosh. So," I attempted to be upbeat and cheery, which was the total opposite of how I was feeling, "how are you?" I paused, as if I was waiting for a reply.

Silence, except for the whispering of the wind.

I continued on, unfazed. It was never my intention to wonder if she would reply. I knew she wouldn't. "Where do I begin? A lot has happened since last time I visited here, five, six months ago, I assume? I'm sorry I can't visit you more often," I said, "but I, still as a leader—after all these years…!—have a lot of work to do. I really hope you understand, Tris, I really do. My darling, I know, that if you knew, you'd probably urge for me to find another girl … to find someone that would make me happy." I paused, watching a bird fly past, reminding me so much of her tattoos, the one with the three birds flying towards her heart.

"But I can't. You want to know why, Tris? Ten reasons. I'll give you ten reasons why. Ten reasons out of a thousand more," I said. "One; your bravery. You were braver than anyone I met. Truly. And once you meet someone so brave, you can't really go back, can't really resolve to finding someone who isn't as brave as you.

"Oh, by the way," I said, smiling a little, "You're probably wondering why I'm talking about this _now_. Here I am, a forty-eight-year-old who never married, finally talking about why I never did. It's been a long time overdue; I know. But I've finally managed to fit enough time for me to visit you without needing to feel the rush to head back to my duties—that's why, all those other times I visited, I just lingered on the shore, placing flowers on the rocks and thought about you. About us. Anyway," I steered back to the original topic. "Back to the ten reasons.

"Two," I continued. "You were an exceptional fighter. _You_ , Beatrice Prior, were a legend. I doubt that not many girls are as good of a fighter as you. I'll miss the way you fought so valiantly, Tris."

A crow, its fur a jet-black hue, swooped down low and landed on the edge of the rowboat. It fixated its beady eyes on me and examined me, head cocked. Ignoring it, I continued on.

"Three," I said. "You're beautiful. You may not think so, but you were. You still are. There's no girl out there who can match your beauty. I'm not saying it because I was your boyfriend. I'm saying that because it is _true_."

With a caw, the bird flew away, and disappeared over the horizon. I frowned a little. That was strange.

"Four … there's something so special about you, about the air you hold, that made you like no other." I tapped my chin with a finger. "Did that make sense?" I questioned. "It's hard to put it in words. It's more of a feeling that can't be described, I guess. It's just like your … personality could not be contained within you, so it surrounded you on the outside and filled in on the inside."

"Five. You always said that you weren't selfless enough, but you're the most selfless person I've known. Believe me, I should know." I crack a little smile. "I came from the selfless faction, just as you did, as you are aware.

"Six. This may sound weird, but your Divergence was like no other. Hope I don't sound like a crazy Erudite person talking about genetics, rarity of Divergence, probabilities, blah blah blah. I'm not talking about whatever the Noses talk about on the subject of Divergence. I'm talking about how it made you _you,_ An aptitude for three factions is unheard of. Still is, even now. Ever since I discovered that you were Divergent and that you had three possible factions to choose from, you became more intriguing that you already were. You were Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. One person belonging in three factions; one person. You. That was one of the things that caught my eye at first. How you incorporated the right amount of bravery, selflessness, and intelligence during your initiation was daunting."

I looked up to the sky, imagining Tris' face staring back at me. After all these years and her face had not faded from my memory. Every curve, every inch of her was engraved in my mind.

"Seven … The way your smile lit up the room … my world … everything. It was like a gift, to see that on your face. When you died, my world was plunged into darkness, because my light had gone. It took me a long time to get back on my feet once again, Tris.

"Eight. How calm and collected you were even in the darkest and most perilous moments was so special …" I trailed off, thinking.

I remembered her fearlessness when she went with me to visit my fears. How calm she was during those moments … it was beyond me. But then again, they _were_ my worst fears.

"Nine." I stopped, breathing in and out. "How can I let go of you? You're my everything. My anchor, my light, my better half … you were the person that could bring out the better part of me. Everything I saw reminded me of you. Even now. It's just _impossible_ to move on, Tris."

I brushed my fingers over my left collarbone, where the tattoo of three birds flying to my heart lies. Tris' tattoo. I got one so I would always have a piece of her close to my heart.

"And finally, number ten," I said. "True love may or may not exist, but I am inclined to believe it does. I truly believe that you were my soulmate. You know, I read somewhere that an ancient culture believed that humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, one of their gods split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves … I believe that _you_ , Tris, are the one that I was split apart from. There's no need to search for another girl." I clasped my hands together. "I already found her." I finished. "Unfortunately, she left me sooner than both of us anticipated. But it doesn't matter. I am eternally grateful for the numbered days we had with each other."

I finally stood up, my legs protesting the movement after sitting for so long. A strong gust of wind blew across the water, causing little waves in the once-calm sea. A film of mist followed soon after, and for a split second, I saw her. Her silhouette, but it, undoubtedly, was Tris. After 30 years of not seeing her, I could finally lay my eyes on her. A smile made its way onto my face as I turned around and started to row back to shore. I know that she heard me. Faint strains of music streamed behind me, from an unknown source.

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 _'_ _Cause honey your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen_

… _Your smile's forever in my mind and memory_

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"I love you, Tris," I whispered into the wind. And, faintly, I heard, from the voice I longed to hear for so long,

"I love you too, Tobias."

Or perhaps it all was just a figment of my imagination.

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 **Yay! I've finally finished! Believe it or not, this little 1687-word one-shot (excluding the Author's Notes) took me around … let's see … five and a half months (maybe more) to finish this! Why, you might ask? Five words: Other commitments/fanfics. Procrastination. I suck at writing romance/sweet stuff.**

 **More than five words, but whatever :)**

 **If you noticed, I put a Percy Jackson's Greek gods/Plato quote in there somewhere … ;) Try to find it! It's on the last half of Tobias' reasons. The verse of the song belongs to Ed Sheeran, from** ** _Thinking Out Loud_** **. I was listening to it, and yeah … inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks. :P**

 **Hope you enjoyed this, and thanks for reading! :)**

 **-K**


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